Drain-excavator.



A. W. ROBINSON.

Patented Dec.19,191 6.

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A. W. ROBINSON.

DRAIN EXCAVM'OR. APPLICATION FILED n20. 17,1915.

Patented Dec; 19, 1916.

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ARTHUR ROBINSON, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

DRAIN-EXCAVA'I'OR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

Application filed December 17, 1915. Serial No. 67,359.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and a resident of the city of Montreal, county of Hochelaga, Province of Quebec, and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drain-Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus for ex cavating trenches, small canals and drains and its object is to provide means whereby the drain or trench dug'by the machine will be of an exact shape or contour determined by a mold or shield, which is attached to and travels with the machine and which by a shearing, action cuts or trims the sides and bottom of the trench to exactly conform in shape and size to its own size and shape. The spoils are removed from the interior of the shield as they accumulate by a suitable drag scraper, as hereinafter disclosed. 1

The machine is adapted to out new trenches, canals or drains, or to clean and reshape existing trenches, canals and drains, which have become silted up.

The invention also includes devices whereby it may be propelled whiledoing the work and transported over ordinary roads, also with supplemental devices whereby it may be propelled or dragged along over rough, soft, or otherwise diflicult land, and also with devices'whereby it may be reliably supported against the sagging influences of the laterally swinging boom.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, showing one form in which the invention may be embodied; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rear of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the shield or mold and co-acting parts; Fig. 3 is a rear endwise'elevation, Fig. 4;

is a sidewise elevatiomshowing two positions in which the mold or shield may be tilted to effect a deeper or shallower out; Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a detail of the self-propelling mechanism and axle extension device; Fig. 6 is a sidewise elevation, showin a. detail of the propelling mecha nism; Fig. 7 is a plan view in section, showing a detail of the mold or shield.

The body portion of the machine may be of any preferred construction as to detail. In the example shown, it comprises a, square e 1, Pr fe y ang e are, p n

the boom with it, may be swung in any preferred manner. I show the swing chains 9,

'9, which engage with a winding drum 10 in the usual way. Thescraper pull-line 6 adjacent to the scraper is provided with a dumping line 11, the detail of which need not be described, for any suitable construction may be employed. The inboard end of the pulling line 6 passes around a winding drum 12.

For the double purpose of providing lateral stability to the apparatus when the boom is swun to the side and also to enable the mac ine to span or bestride an existing drain or small canal, I provide the frame ofthe machine with two extendible supports or axles. The rear axle 13 is rigidly fixed to the car but the front axle 1 1 is pivoted, as at 15, and is providedwith a steering wheel 16, with worm gear 17 and worm, as usual, whereby the front axle may be swiveled. These axles are provided with wheels or rollers, which may be of any usual or preferred type, as, for instance, broad tread wheels 18, as illustrated, which may be arranged singly or in pairs. ,Any other preferred substitute for the wheels 18 may of course be employed.

The axles are made extendible as follows: The ends of the permanent axles are suitably rounded, or otherwise fashioned, to engage with the bearing opening in the hubs of the wheels or supporting frame, if a plurality of wheels or a multiple-wheel system is employed, and these extremities of the permanent axles are provided with ordinary pins 19 to hold the wheels upon the axles and preferably with an inner collar 20. The extension of the axles is effected by bolting thereto at each end an additional piece 21, which I prefer to make in bifurcated form,

as shown, the inner surface of the bifurca- I tions being preferably rounded to coincide with the rounded or cylindrical form of the the wheels on their ends.

bearing end of the axles proper and the confining bolts 22 pass through the bifurcated inner ends of the extension piece 21 and also through the rounded part of the axles proper and these extension pieces may likewise be provided with wheel confining collars 23 and with outside pins 24, so that the same wheels will properly co-act with the axle proper and with the extension pieces. The extensions on the fixed rear axle are additionally braced by braces 24, which engage with the extensions and with the sides of the main frame as shown. These engagements are not permanent but are easily detachable, so that when the axle extensions are removed, the braces come away with them so as to narrow up the machine for transportation along ordinary roads or otherwise. There is also a supplemental A-frame 25, 25, used when the axles are extended as shown. They are pivotally connected with lugs 26 on the axle extensions.

and are also pivotally connected to the casting at the top of the main A-frame 8, so that they also may be removed when the machine is narrowed up, by removal of the axle extensions. Since it is impossible to use fixed b "aces, such as the braces 24, on the forward axle, because it must be adapted to swiveling movement in its extended as well as in its narrowed form, I supply the necessary bracing or staying devices for it in the form of stay rods or chains and small gearing (see Fig. 1). A rod or chain 27 is removably connected with a lug 28 at or near the outer end of the axle extensions 21 and a light tackle, composed of blocks 29, 29, and a suitable cable '30, with a tail rod or chain 31, fast to the side of the machine at 32, is provided, the traction end of the cables passing reversely over a small drum made on the standard of the steering wheel, as shown, and the relative proportions and the arrangement of the parts are such that upon turning the steering wheel, the steering gear will suitably swivel the axle proper and the supplemental tackles will correspondingly swivel the axle extensions and It is not in all cases essential that the front axles be provided with the described duplex steering machinery, for in many instances the hand wheel and co-acting gearing will be adequate to steer the apparatus whether the axles are in their extended or narrowed form, without the necessity for the supplemental bracing and steering tackle. Also where thetackle is used, the usual steering apparatus may be disconnected in any suitable way. I prefer, however, to use them both in conjunction with each other as suggested- It is unnecessary to particularly describe the mechanism, 2'. 6., the drums, shafting, etc, on the car platform for effecting the various movements of the parts and the running of the cables or chains to and from them, because these devices are too well known and are made in such variety of form as to render any specific description not only unnecessary, but undesirable. Suflice it to say that atwo-cylinder, internal combustion motor is shown at 33. It may, however, be electric, steam,.com'pressed air, or of any other desired form. The reducing gear and connection for the motor with the winding drums for hoisting and digging lines and with the lines for swinging or swiveling the turntable, boom and other parts are all seen in Fig. 1.

For propelling the apparatus in rough, soft or otherwise difiicult land, I prefer to employ a hauling tackle or line in conjunction with a forwardly located anchor, not shown, which will be suitably connected to a sheave 34. The hauling line 35 extends from the machine, as from the eye 36, around the sheave 34, and thence around a guide sheave 37 to a winding drum 38,

which is 'fixed on a slowly but powerfully revolving shaft 39, so that upon revolving this shaft, the pull line 35 will powerfully draw the entire apparatus and the mold or shield forwardly. Upon each end of this shaft 39 there is a sprocket wheel 40, from which sprocket chains 41 (see Figs. 5 and 6) extend to another sprocket wheel 42 located upon the counter-shaft 43, upon which there are two smaller sprocket wheels 44, from which sprocket chains 45 pass over other enlarged sprocket wheels 46 placed upon the shafts or axles 47 of the driving wheels of the machine- These devices effect the propulsion of the apparatus under ordinary circumstances.

The mold or shield, which cuts the ditch or drain and determines its exact shape and size, is shown at 48. As shown, it has sloping or flaring sides 50, 50, and a flat bottom 49, and is entirely open on top. It may, however, be of such shape in cross section as preferred. The bottom rests on and defines the bottom of the cut andits flaring sides slope "forwardly at a suitable angle, thus forming cutting edges having three specific advantages, first, the cut is a drawing one, second, the cut resistance tends to lift part of. the weight of the shield ofi' the bottom and makes it easier to advance, and

third, it provides a longer space within which to land the bucket. The back of the mold or shield is preferably closed solid with a steel plate for strength and to prevent any of the spoils of the cutting from passing backwardly into the finished cut. The mold is attached to the frame of the machine by two side members 51, 51, which are preferably, but not necessarily, rigid angle iron bars and they are pin connected at their meeting point,-as at 52, to the frame of the machine in such manner that movement in all directions is. permitted. Flexible ropes or chains may be substituted for the rigid side members 51, 51, but I prefer the latter. For the purpose of regulating the grade of the bottom of the trench which will frequently require variation in the depth to which the mold shall out, it is pivoted to the side members 51, at their rear ends, as shown at 53, and the front or cutting end is made to rise and fall by any suitable mechanism. One useful form may consist of wire ropes 54, 54,'which pass over sheaves 55, 55, journaled respectively on-the side members, extending thence upwardly and downwardly and engaging with eyes 56 on boxings 57, 57, which loosely embrace the bars 51. The wire ropes 54 pass forwardly around sheaves 58 and suitably engage with a drum 59 in such manner that when the lifting ropes are drawn upon the lowering ones will be slackened and vice versa. The drum 59 may be revolved by hand wheel 60.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 4 it will be plain that by proper manipulation of the de vices just described the front cutting edges of the shield or mold may be depressed so that it will dig into and tend to draw deeper and deeper into the soil, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, or it may be placed substantially in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, in which event it will have a tendency to maintain a condition of equilibrium, or the front edge may be canted upwardly, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, in which event the cut will not be so deep. In this way the bottom of the trench may readily be made to assume the proper grade for the flow of the water.

Means may be beneficially provided where by the shield or mold may be permanently held in such position as the operator may desire because frequently in trenching fiat land, it is not necessary to change the depth of out except at long intervals.

The operation is clear. For digging a new drain or trench, it is desirable, although not essential, that the beginnig be dug by hand. It may, however, be made by the machine bv simply dropping the bucket into the soil and suitably manipulating the boom. It will quickly dig a hole of the needful size to permit the shield to be dropped thereinto. Thereafter the work proceeds either as a matter-of continual progression when the character of the soil and the size of the excavation be suitable, or by intermittent forward steps, as the case may be. The cutting sides or edges of the shield will trim off the sides of the trench upon lines conforming to its shape and the bottom thereof will similarly smooth and make level the bottom of the trench. The drag scraper will excavate and remove from the interior of the mold and s me h t n ad ance of it the material of the drag scraper.

vents the scraper from digging outside its dumped as a dyke by the saides of the drain or may be used as filling for low spots or piled for subsequent removal, if desired.

As stated above, the forward movement may be continuous or intermittent, the speed being dependent upon the character of the soil, the size of the drain and the capacity The excavating is partly performed by the cutting edges of the shield and partly by the drag scraper, the latter, however, removes all spoils from the interior of the shield and the shield preboundaries, thus insuring a handsome, well made, smoothly finished drain or trench, and, as stated above, since the machine may be so adjusted as to bestride an existing ditch or trench, it may be very efficiently used for clearing and reforming-them as well as making new ones and it is immeterial whether water be present in the ditch or not- During transportation from place toplace it will ordinarily be found most advantageous to dismount the machine by disconnecting the various parts above described and thus contracting it laterally so that it may more con veniently traverse common roads, being in narrow gage condition. During such transportation the boom will of course be moved into and held in mid position.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with such matters that many changes may be made in the details of construction and yet the essentials of the invention be retained. I therefore do not limit myself to the details shown and described.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class stated comprising a suitable supporting structure, a swinging boom thereon, a drag scraper suspended from the boom, a mold adapted to shear the sides and bottom of the excavation and define its contour attached to and traveling with the supporting structure, and means to simultaneously and co-extensively advance the supporting structure and the mold attached to it, the relation of the parts being such that the drag scraper will operate only within and in advance of the mold.

2. Apparatus of the class stated comprising a suitable supporting structure, a swinging boom thereon, a drag scraper suspended from the boom and which operates toward the supporting structure, a mold closed at its rear and which defines the contour of the excavation and within which only the drag scraper operates, and means to simultaneously and co-extensively advance the supporting structure and the mold.

3. A mold for a trench excavating machine the cross section of which coincides with the contour of the trench, the bottom, the sides the of the mold being immovably and permanently closed, and the forward cutting edges of each side inclined forwardly from the bottom up.

4, In apparatus of the class stated, a mold the cross section of which coincides with the contour of the trench, the bottom, the sides and the rear of the mold being immovably and permanently closed, means whereby the mold is attached to and adapted to be advanced by a self-propelled dredge supporting structure, and means whereby the cutting edges of the mold may be vertically elevated and depressed to determine the degree of cut.

5. Apparatus of the class stated comprising a suitable supporting structure, a swinging boom thereon, a drag scraper suspended from the boom, a mold attached to and traveling with the supporting structure, the cross section of which defines the shape and size of the trench, connected to the supporting structure by laterally disposed bars to which the mold is pivoted, the rear of the mold being closed and its front cutting edges inclined from the bottom up, and means Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the whereby the cutting edges of the mold may .be elevated and depressed from the supporting structure as the work-progresses to determine the degree of cut.

(SVApparatus of the class stated comprising a suitable body structure, laterally extendible supports therefor, a swinging boom on the body structure, a drag scraper suspendedfrom the boom, a mold attached to and traveling with the supporting structures, the rear of which mold is closed and the cross section whereof determines the contour of the excavation, the cutting edges of the mold being inclined from the bottom upwardly and elevated and depressed from the body structure as the work progresses to determine the degree of cut, and means to simultaneously and co-extensively advance the supporting structure and the mold and means to effect the elevation and depression of the cutting edges of the mold.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

, ARTHUR wnoBI soN.

Commissioner of'latents,

Washington, D. G. 

